Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Orange/copper colored rifling

Gun shoots great.

I did use Gunslick brand foaming bore cleaner and let it set for 30 min. Then brushed thoroughly, then patched wet and dry alternating Outers Nitro bore solevent until no more blue. Those products were just what I had on hand. All said on the bottle they remove copper fouling. Yet still a visual inspection looks like copper in the rifling.

That stuff/process inadequate? I did order some Barnes CR10, hopefully that works better.

If you are applying a copper solvent, and then brushing with a phosphor bronze brush, you may in fact be dissolving the brush.

I haven't used the Gunslick product, because I find Sweets 7.62 does a sterling job on copper fouling.I also don't understand why you'd use the copper solvent first, then the nitro solvent.

Here's how I do it:

I start with a nitro solvent (Hoppes No 9). I apply it on a loose patch on a loop, and then give the bore a good going over with a phosphor bronze brush, letting the brush go all the way out of the muzzle before reversing direction. I then patch out using a jag, until the patches come out clean. I repeat the process if necessary, until there's no powder fouling on the patches.

I then have a good look at the bore from each end, to judge as to whether I need to worry about metal fouling.If I do, I again put a fairly loose patch on a loop. I wet this well with Sweets 7.62, and pump it up and down the bore vigorously - getting a bit of a foam happening seems to make it work better. I then patch out using tight patches on a jag until the patches are clean, and have another look. If there still seems to be copper I might repeat the Sweets, but let it sit for a while before patching out again.

Once the bore seems clean I put a lightly oiled patch through and call it done.

Others may have different techniques, but that has worked for me for decades.

Can one of you guys post a link to the JB bore cleaner that is good with copper? I see several different types. Which one are we talking about and what is the best process to use?

Please explain copper “wash”?

It's awkward to explain, looks more like coloration rather than a material buildup.

Just came home from a range session with a new (to me) CZ 550. The gun shot fantastic. I gave it a very thorough cleaning when I got home, using copper solvent. Scrubbed with a brush and patched until no more blue. It’s clean! But when I look into the muzzle end of the bore I see copper colored rifling. I wish I could figure out how to post a pic here. Anyone seen this before? Any concern? The bore is bright and shiny, no rust, no pitting. The coloration appears to be in the recesses of the rifling.

That’s precisely what this looks like.

Leave it alone! Several have already mentioned this, it is best to leave the bore alone. You said it shoots great, so be happy and leave it alone. I had a friend that shot more ammunition just fire forming cases than most of these people on the Campfire do shooting. You have no idea how much this guy shot. He was also a surgeon and couldn't abide by any residue left in the bore.

He finally bought an electronic bore cleaner that you seal the chamber, pour in a solvent then put the electric rod into the bore and let it sit for hours. It did pull all the copper out of the bore, but he never shot enough ammo through that gun to get it shooting as well as it did before the treatment.

Keep that gun with the bore it has and shoot it...